Knowledge and attitude of medical students and early-career doctors about cancer: Highlights and challenges – A survey in India
Bikramjit Chakrabarti, Hridjit Chakrabarti, Shyam Sundar Adhikary, Anshuman Ghosh, Arnab Adhikary, Anis BandyopadhyayABSTRACT
Introduction:
India lacks enough trained oncologists to handle its high cancer burden. Many cases, including palliative care, are managed by general physicians. Most undergraduate (UG) medical colleges lack dedicated oncology departments. Also, radiotherapy is now excluded from the CBME curriculum. Therefore, it is crucial to assess the quality of oncology training at the UG level.
Methodology:
A cross-sectional online survey was done among MBBS students, including interns and house-staffs, using a validated Google Form. Pretest was done. Predictor variables included radiotherapy-related exposures like training, curriculum inclusion, textbook availability, clinical posting, internship, and lectures. Six outcomes studied were confidence in cancer care, number of patients seen, plans for oncology career or research, belief in UG curriculum, and cancer knowledge. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed using SPSS v20.
Results:
A total of 322 responses were analyzed. There were considerable deficiencies in both comprehensive oncology training of students and their knowledge and confidence in management of cancer patients. Statistical analysis revealed that including radiotherapy in UG curriculum significantly increases confidence in cancer management (
Conclusion:
UG oncology education needs urgent improvement. Radiotherapy should be reinstated in the curriculum with structured lectures. Strengthening oncology departments in all medical colleges is essential.